Tea Party House Republicans Rooting for Sequester

With nearly 10 days to go until Tea Party House Republicans force the American economy over a sequester-cliff that slashes national defense and guts critical investment in job-creating education and research initiatives, House Republicans are cheering it on. Despite the fact that the sequester will cost more than 2 million jobs and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says it could push our economy back into recess, Tea Party Republicans have refused to put forward a plan to stop the sequester and 222 of them voted to leave for vacation instead of dealing with the problem.

Former NRCC Chairman Tom Cole. “We just had additional revenue for the federal government, so I don’t see any way in the world the sequester won’t happen either as written or renegotiated or reallocated cuts.” [Talking Points Memo, 2/05/13]

Republican Congressman John Fleming (R-LA). “The sequester is law. Those cuts happen no matter what. We’re willing to hang in there and insist that those cuts go into place...” [NHPR, 1/30/13]

Republican Congressman James Lankford (R-OK). “greater chance that they’ll be implemented than not at this point.” [Politico, 2/13/13]

Republican Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY. “Sequestration will take place…I am excited. It will be the first time since I’ve been in Congress that we really have significant cuts.” [Billings Gazette, 2/11]

Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). “Some conservatives are starting to say despite the fact there are a lot of defense cuts in there, this may be the only way we get real spending cuts over the next year”. [Yahoo News, 2/13/13]

Republican Congressman Mick Mulvaney (R-SC). “We want to keep the sequester in place and take the cuts we can get.” [Dow Jones Business News, 2/8]

Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS). “It’s going to be a homerun...I am very optimistic that on March 2nd, we’ll all wake up and America will have tremendous respect for what its House of Representatives led and what it’s federal government was able to accomplish.” [Politico, 2/13]

POLITICO (2/13/13): “Top congressional Republicans predicted Wednesday that the sequester will hit at the end of the month – the latest chapter in the series of budget battles that have stymied Washington in the last few years.” [Politico, 2/13/13]